Logan has learned so much this past year.  Let’s see what some of them are:

• Logan loves to be on his feet.  He now prefers walking with our assistance more than being held.
• He can wave hello, clap and say uh-oh.
• He can ask for his favorite (i.e. daddy).
• He knows how to use the remote control; he presses a button, points the remote toward the TV, and expects the Wiggles to come on.
• He is a master in shaking his head when he does not like the food.
• He has decided to skip crawling.
• He loves cars.  His favorite independent playtime toy is his cars and garage.
• He has trained us to sleep well through the nights again.
• He knows how to throw mini-tantrums thinking we’ll give him what he wants.
• He can almost drink out of his sippy cup without getting soaked.
• He can take his girlfriend out for a ride

     Logan turns One tomorrow, but he already had his big birthday bash last weekend.   The happening took place at nearby park.  We had been scooping potential party locations whenever we were out and about.  This one was both local to us, and allowed reserving of Picnic areas, which was important because we were expecting a fairly large group of people to come.

    Although a certain blog has referred to the getting ready process that morning as ‘frantic’…in actual fact it was quite planned out with little room for error.   My Dad and I headed to the store at 9:30am to get ice and setup the picnic tables.  There was a bit of confusion at first as we thought we had rented a different area, but it all turned out ok as this area allowed for the kids Jumper to be setup as well.  My Dad did a good job in setting up the coolers and cleaning up the picnic area of debris from the prior parties, while I tried to get the covers on the tables.    Scottie and DeeDee arrived early to help me out with the setup which was much appreciated since I hadn’t done one of these things before. 

    On the Bonnie side of things she had the harder task of bringing all the snacks she had made the previous day, including some still being finished, and picking up the balloons, cake, pizza and sandwiches on the way to the park (and also keeping Logan happy).   To assist in this process we had recruited Julie, Robert (of the Chang clan) and my Mom.  The Changs hadn’t fully realized they had volunteered until they got a “get over here” call in the morning.  I’ve only heard bits and pieces of what happened during this timeframe, but I understand there were some white-knuckles in the backseat as Bonnie drove to do the pick ups.  The Changs did their best to follow B, which I believe included running some red lights. Everyone arrived safe and sound just as the guests started pulling up.

    Once here everything went smoothly.  The bouncer setup guy was timely and did a great job,  the Hashiguchi’s had finished the table setups, the Changs had the grub ready, and I was ready for a nap.  

     We were happy so many of our friends could join us to celebrate Logans first birthday party.  The Hashiguchi twins made full use of the jumper.  The Hoangs held baseball fielding practice.  Big Kyle gave soccer a try.  Riley played ring-around-the-rosie with Bonnie.  Brandon and Ian went paddle boating.  Various attempts were made at balloon animals..some which actually looked like what they were called.

    What about the Birthday boy?   Even though Logan hadn’t fully recovered from his recent asthma flare up he was a trooper.  He wasn’t a big fan of the Jumper and would only handle short periods of time in it bouncing with his mommy.  However, he had a great time playing with the other kids and getting all the attention.  His actual Birthday is tomorrow (stealing my Fathers day thunder) and we expect it to be a relaxing time together.  

    Once again a shout out to the Changs, Hashiguchi’s, and Grand-Browns for their help in making it a successfully party for Logan. 

PS: Here’s some additional photos from our official family photographer: Chang Productions

    Logan got a cold a couple of days ago.  We have no idea where he got it from since no one we know is sick, including at the daycare.  He was coughing, sneezing and having a runny nose.  The good news is that the illness passed relatively quickly, but unfortunately, it triggered Logan to start wheezing again.  He was having difficulty breathing, so he was seen by the doctor on Friday.  This is like the 3rd or 4th time that Logan has had similar episodes, therefore, the doctor stated that Logan may have childhood asthma.  We were given a nebulizer to keep at home.  Logan is not a big fan of the nebulizer; he puts up a big struggle with each session.  He is definitely not going to enjoy the entire month of nebulizer treatment that we have been told to give him.

    He was feeling much better today and had some quality playtime with the grandparents.  Hopefully, he will be totally back to his usual playful self for his birthday party tomorrow.

It was Scottie’s turn to see the doctor this time.  Scottie does not like to go to the vet; he cried the entire way there as usual.  However, once he got to the office, he was a very good boy.  He was very cooperative during his annual exam and even when receiving the vaccinations.   He got a gold star from the doctor for his behavior.  His report card however was not very good.  Scottie is now only 10lbs 2oz, lost 1.5lbs over the past year.  Because of the dramatic weight loss, the doctor did blood and urine tests.  Scottie also has a heart murmur this time and may need an ECHO later.  The good news is that his physical exam all checked out fine.  Now we just have to wait for the lab report to confirm that everything is ok.  Hopefully, his weight loss is just due to the stress of having Logan around and the occasional lack of food in his bowl